RCVS Voting

RE: RCVS Voting

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 07:04:59 GMT

OH ..... MY ..... GOD. How cool is that? Must be a first, too (Not to mention, one in the eye for Vet Times, which AFAIK has still to have a reader make a t-shirt out of one of its news stories)

RE: RCVS Voting

Niall Connell — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 06:05:37 GMT

Just a reminder that the RCVS Council election closes today at 5pm. There's just time to email your choices in using your link if you haven't already done so.
As a profession, we are privileged to regulate ourselves. I would be very honoured to receive your vote. Arlo said I'm 'by all accounts, something of a national treasure' Had to do it. Got the T Shirt.

RE: RCVS Voting

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:21:01 GMT

[quote user="Edward Jones"]Apologies if this is raking over old ground - have all the candidates made their position clear with regards the relaxation of the code of conduct to allow prescribing without a proper clinical examination?[/quote]

Edward Jones - I highlighted those that mentioned it in their manifesto or their video here:

https://www.vetsurgeon.org/news/b/veterinary-news/archive/2019/03/28/voting-opens-in-2019-rcvs-council-election.aspx

RE: RCVS Voting

Edward Jones — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 10:46:42 GMT

Apologies if this is raking over old ground - have all the candidates made their position clear with regards the relaxation of the code of conduct to allow prescribing without a proper clinical examination?

Of all the candidates, I could only see Joanna Dyer mentioning the issue in her manifesto.

Thanks!

RE: RCVS Voting

Niall Connell — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 23:20:08 GMT

Dear colleagues, that’s the RCVS Council election just about half way through. It finishes on 26th April. If you are MRCVS or FRCVS and haven’t voted yet, please take a few moments to make a difference.

RE: RCVS Voting

Chris Barker — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 09:30:58 GMT

With two Council members for every vet college Council was becoming overblown (too big to function swiftly; too big for the current building!) and top heavy with those members from academic establishments. Many functions have been taken over by a subset of Council, the Operational Board, which was in effect an expanded Officer Team, to which were added Heads of Standards and Education Committees.

The decision was taken to shrink the size of Council and bring more decision making back to Council itself. This required variance the Vet Surgeons Act (via an LRO). The Government is keen to see outside input/independent lay people, and hence the inclusion of six lay members. This kept HM Government happy and eased the passing of the LRO. And while we now have six members well versed in the mechanics of regulation, there is no doubt that they will have to work hard to build an understanding of the other side of the RCVS role, as a Royal College, so that their contributions can be best matched to the work of Belgravia House.

But for a self-governing profession it is essential that we attract, that we elect active Members of the Profession to ensure that regulation aids and does not hinder provision of care by working vets. So I would ask all readers of this site to exercise their vote, and think about backing working practitioners. Some the changes being put forward in Council (eg. remote prescribing) would have a significant effect on the way our profession works, and any proposals must be scrutinised by those active in practice to ensure that, however well meaning, the consequences of such change would not ultimately damage/disrupt provision of veterinary care. And to my mind this scrutiny is best done by those who provide hands-on care and who are in day-to-day contact with the public Please use your vote and use it thoughtfully

RE: RCVS Voting

Iain Richards — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 22:36:58 GMT

To reassure you Stephen, the lay people on council don't judge vets, although there is always a lay peson on DC. That's right and proper and good practice. I can't answer you last question though, but I"m inclined to think that once work has been carried out on a idea, RCVS have a culture to keep going.

RE: RCVS Voting

Stephen Courtney — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 20:21:41 GMT

L:ay people have no business judging vets.

Doctors have no ethical code any more

Lawyers never did have ethics as we understand them

The pharmacist they had on the DC precipitated Blanketgate

How is it that we are constantly on the back foot having things imposed on us, when we are a self governing profession?

RE: RCVS Voting

Iain Richards — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 20:16:26 GMT

I wonder if we will come to regret the changes to council. Not the reduction in size, but the weighting of lay people. Those whose biographies I can see, have no interest in vets or animal welfare and are perhaps best described as professioal committee members. In accomodating these folk, we will lose some fine people this time and probably with each election.

RE: RCVS Voting

Silvia Maldonado — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 18:08:24 GMT

Wishing good luck to my 3 candidates

RE: RCVS Voting

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:08:49 GMT

[quote user="Iain Richards"]As has been said before, it's now crucial to ensure that first opinion practictioners are on council and for that matter farm vets.[/quote]

I think I mentioned earlier, but I did a quick 'at a glance' summary of the candidates this year:

https://www.vetsurgeon.org/news/b/veterinary-news/archive/2019/03/28/voting-opens-in-2019-rcvs-council-election.aspx

I don't want to be the kiss of death, but one would hope that Niall will be a shoe-in.

Jo Dyer likewise: small animal first opinion practitioner with a track record of effecting change.

Both are good communicators.

That leaves one vote to play with ...

Perhaps, just maybe, with fewer votes available this year, people will be a little less likely to waste one on the carnivorous Australian.

Which leaves six other serious contenders to pick from...

RE: RCVS Voting

Iain Richards — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 19:25:23 GMT

As has been said before, it's now crucial to ensure that first opinion practictioners are on council and for that matter farm vets.

RE: RCVS Voting

Thomas Johnson — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 17:20:24 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]Not a great situation where 24 elected representatives drop to 13 I am not aware that university representation or lay members have been cut.[/quote]

There are 6 lay members on the council and 2 veterinary nurse members, privy council appointed members have been dropped. University appointed members dropped from 14 to 7 last year, and will drop to 3 next year. The number of elected members will drop from 24 to 13 by 2021. This means that by my calculations elected members will continue to outnumber appointed members.

RE: RCVS Voting

Anthony Todd — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 17:07:49 GMT

Surely if the vet members can be outvoted by non-vet members bias, if evident or wrong, can be defeated??

The important thing is that the [few] vet members of Council have "been there and done that" many times....

RE: RCVS Voting

Bob Russell — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:56:10 GMT

The reduction in elected council size was too much too soon and it has resulted in a real imbalance between members voted for by the profession, lay members and university members.

It does mean that those being regulated have a much smaller voice than should be the case.

We used to get a hypercritical but generally useful insight from a VetSurgeon member that is no longer a member!

Not a great situation where 24 elected representatives drop to 13 I am not aware that university representation or lay members have been cut.

Real democracy at work?

It is not really our governing body any more. It is a body that governs us.

There are some genuinely good elected members that will go but apparently this is the modern way of doing this.

Not my idea of a good move!